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According to a NASA presentation last month, it appears that both SpaceX and Boeing are aiming to complete both their first unmanned and manned flights this coming year.

The schedules remain tight, but SpaceX plans to do its first unmanned demo mission in April, followed by a manned flight in August, while Boeing’s first unmanned flight is set for August, with the first manned flight in November. If these schedules happen 2018 should be quite an exciting year.

If these schedules hold, Boeing’s CEO, who’s been making noises about beating SpaceX to Mars with SLS lately, isn’t going to be pleased. SpaceX could wind up stepping on Starliner’s first unmanned mission with Dragon 2’s first manned mission, and then topping Starliner’s first manned mission with that circumlunar tourist flight at year’s end.

Does Dragon 2 require Falcon Heavy or can it be lifted by a plain-Jane Falcon 9? Dragon 2 and Falcon Heavy seemed to be paired in any discussion I’ve seen about the SpaceX manned capsule, but it strikes me that if you are going LEO to the ISS that you should be able to use a F9. I suppose the answer depends on how much mass is required for life support.

At the end of the presentation are updates on Blue Origin and Sierra Nevada. I was surprised to see an entry in the Sierra Nevada slide labeled: “Day In The Life Test (final).” I have never seen this type of test before. Does anyone have knowledge as to what it might be?

I especially enjoyed the Combined Milestone Summary slide. There is a lot of good information there on the progress of the two systems. I have been to plenty of Test Readiness Reviews (and CDRs and PDRs and all kinds of reviews), but it would be interesting to be at the Operational Readiness Review meetings.

Mark, Falcon Heavy could send a (modified) Dragon 2 to the Moon. With a landing stage (a fuel tank and maybe modification of the Super Draco engines in the Dragon). To get back to Earth, a second Falcon Heavy would be needed to separately land the return vehicle.

Crewed flight is demanded most in low Earth orbit. So commercial companies of course develop spacecrafts within the mass capacity of the ~20 tons to LEO launchers of today. Only Orion cannot launch without SLS.

Most already know this but the Dragon Crew will be using the Falcon 9 Block IV, which is supposed to be the final iteration of the Falcon 9. When looking at the progress of their Dragon Crew testing, we also have to keep an eye on their Block IV variant.

Anyone know when the first Falcon 9 Block IV is supposed to take flight?

wodun, As I understand it, Block 5 (not IV) is meant for the special safety requirements for crewed flights and so will be the only version to fly with the Dragon 2 capsule crewed. And the date for that isn’t carved in stone yet, but everyone expects it to happen 2018. SpaceX said that the Merlin text explosion a few weeks ago doesn’t affect their launch schedule (but since Block 5 with Dragon 2 isn’t scheduled yet…) Why would they test fire Merlin if not for the final version of Falcon 9?

Boeing ‘s Starliner will be lifted by an Atlas V 422 (or N22 since it has No fairing) — a never before flown configuration which, besides having two strap on solid rocket boosters, also has a twin engine Centaur upper stage.

Localfluff asked: “Why would they test fire Merlin if not for the final version of Falcon 9?”

They test fire each engine before installing it on a vehicle. First firing of each engine is on a test stand, not on a rocket. It is unclear what exactly went wrong with that test, but SpaceX made it clear that it was not a flaw with the engine.

wodun,
You are off by one number. The Falcon Block 5, coming early next year, is expected as the final version for the Falcon 9 series.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9_Block_5
“On 17 February 2017, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell stated that the Block 5 changes are mainly driven by upgrades needed for the Commercial Crew program and National Security Space Launch requirements.”

So far, I have heard no date commitments for launching the first Block 5 Falcon 9. There is only a vague “early next year” statement.

Since the Block 5 is the one used for manned flight, it would be best if SpaceX uses that same version for their unmanned demonstration flight, in April, to verify its safety level for the manned demonstration flight.

“Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America’s quest for the moon… Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America’s greatest human triumphs.”
–San Antonio Express-News

Radio: December 25, 2017, 6:05-7:00 pm (Central), Replay of December 19th appearance on Pratt on Texas with Robert Pratt, aired on 790-AM KFYO in Lubbock, 1470-AM KYYW in Abilene, and 1290-AM KWFS in Wichita Falls.

Radio: January 1, 2018, 6:05-7:00 pm (Central), Replay of December 19th appearance on Pratt on Texas with Robert Pratt, aired on 790-AM KFYO in Lubbock, 1470-AM KYYW in Abilene, and 1290-AM KWFS in Wichita Falls.